*

Just as Nan Qing was about to reach for the still bubbling pot, Gu Beiyan stepped forward first, his slender, well-proportioned fingers firmly gripping the handle.

"Don't touch it, it's hot."

"Go sit at the table outside, I'll take it out."

His voice was deep, and when he approached, he still carried the heat of exercise.

Nan Qing pulled him away from her arms, grabbed Xiao Ba from the side, and turned to walk out of the kitchen. She rushed to the dining table in three steps, put Xiao Ba on the table, and pressed her hands to her slightly burning face.

Oh my god, how did it suddenly become so bewitching?

The sound of bowls and plates clinking came from the kitchen. Soon, Gu Beiyan came out with the pot of sour soup noodles and two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

He sat down next to Nan Qing, his gaze falling on the pot of sour soup noodles with a slightly strange color. He paused, picked up a soup ladle, and ladled out only half a bowl for himself.

"Let me try it first..."

His voice was calm, and without waiting for Nan Qing's reply, he picked up his chopsticks, scooped up some soft, white vermicelli, and put it into his mouth.

Having traveled through so many worlds, Nan Qing knew perfectly well that he didn't believe in her skills. She snorted coldly, but kept her eyes fixed on his expression.

(This time I made it absolutely delicious!)

Although Gu Beiyan's expression remained normal and he swallowed the noodles in his mouth, she could still clearly see his fingers holding the chopsticks pause for a moment.

Nanqing took the small bowl, filled it with half a bowl of vermicelli soup, then grabbed Xiao Ba next to her and poked its pink little nose.

"Little Ba, this is the sour soup noodles you've been craving. Come on, give it a try!"

"Look, Gu Beiyan also said it's delicious."

Both the human and the beast turned to look at Gu Beiyan at the same time, their round eyes fixed on him without blinking.

Gu Beiyan calmly put down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin from the table, and slowly wiped the corner of his mouth, his voice still calm.

"It's really good."

Nan Qing's eyes immediately curved into a smile, and a sly smile appeared on her lips. Without saying a word, she moved Xiao Ba closer to the bowl and even thoughtfully tilted the rim of the bowl so that Xiao Ba could easily drink the bright red soup.

"See? You said it was simple too. Smell it, doesn't it smell wonderful?"

The naive little eight was still not used to the complexities of the human world. Little did it know that its beautiful host had also become cunning and wicked.

It gently twitched its pink little nose, having no doubt about Nan Qinghao and Gu Beiyan's words. It pressed its two front paws against the edge of the bowl and, trembling its little whiskers, moved closer to the soup.

"squeak--"

The next second, Hachiko's golden fur stood on end, and the taste in its mouth made it spin around on the table, its two little paws frantically pawing at its tongue.

[Host, Xiao Ba is about to be poisoned to death!!]

I swear, sour soup noodles definitely don't taste like this.

Nan Qing knew perfectly well that she had failed again; she was just asking Xiao Ba to test her again.

She picked up the water bottle from the side, poured some water for Xiao Ba, rested her chin on her hand, poked Xiao Ba's chubby cheeks, and sighed:

"Life is tough, we can't even afford a bowl of sour soup noodles~"

"Little Eight, tell me, am I too pitiful?"

As she spoke, she kept glancing at Gu Beiyan's reaction, making it seem as if she would be the most pitiful person in the world if she hadn't eaten this sour soup noodles today.

Watching Nan Qing's exaggerated performance, a smile flashed in Gu Beiyan's eyes. He suddenly raised his hand, his warm palm gently resting on the back of her neck, his fingertips lightly pinching her delicate skin.

"Alright, you'll get to eat sour soup noodles today."

His voice was not as cold and indifferent as usual, but deep and gentle, with a hint of helpless indulgence. After speaking, he stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Then, Nan Qing heard the sound of the refrigerator being opened.

Nan Qing's lips curled into a smug little expression. She grabbed Xiao Ba from beside her and got up to walk towards the kitchen.

"Gu Beiyan, I want meatballs, and also beef and pork liver~"

There was fresh pork liver in the refrigerator, she saw it, but she hadn't taken it when she was cooking, and the pork liver looked a bit ugly... she didn't really want to cook it.

But she actually really enjoys eating, so the current situation is practically perfect!

Nan Qing lay on Gu Beiyan's back, her chin resting on his shoulder, staring at the food in the refrigerator, pointing at one thing after another with her finger, wanting to eat everything, looking completely craving it.

With Gu Beiyan present, Nan Qing had no intention of taking action. She even directed Gu Beiyan to bring a high chair from the restaurant and sit down casually opposite the kitchen island.

Little Ba followed suit, perching on her shoulder and resting its furry chin on its two front paws, mimicking her posture.

The two sat side by side, watching Gu Beiyan busily working across from them.

"Gu Beiyan, I want a soft-boiled egg too~"

"It's the kind where you poke it with chopsticks and the filling oozes out. I want two, and Xiao Ba wants one too!"

Gu Beiyan lowered his head, his slender fingers pressing on a piece of bright red beef tenderloin. The blade moved precisely and swiftly through the muscle fibers, slicing the beef into even, thin slices with each cut.

Upon hearing Nan Qing's request for a soft-boiled egg, he paused slightly, looked up, and wisps of hair fell across his forehead, casting faint shadows between his deep-set eyes.

He pursed his lips and responded softly, "Mm."

Gu Beiyan arranged all the ingredients neatly: the diced tomatoes were bright red and juicy, the beef slices were as thin as cicada wings, and the bright green scallions and cilantro were placed in small dishes.

He washed the small enamel pot that Nanqing had used before, placed it on the stove, turned on the fire, and poured in some olive oil.

After the oil was hot, he poured the tomatoes into the pan. With a sizzle, the red flesh trembled in the hot oil, and as oil splattered, he leaned back slightly, but his right hand still held the wooden spatula and stirred the tomatoes in the pan, while his left hand adjusted the heat at the same time.

The tomatoes gradually softened, oozing bright red juice, and the whole kitchen was filled with a sweet and sour aroma.

While adding purified water and waiting for it to boil, he lit another stove, placed a frying pan on it, and when the pan started to smoke slightly, he poured in a little oil. The surface of the oil immediately rippled with fine waves.

He picked up the egg, gently tapped it against the side of the pot, and the egg liquid poured into the pot, making a pleasant "sizzle" sound. The egg in the pot had a round and plump yolk, like a little sun.

Nanqing sat on the stool, her hands supporting her on the counter, listening to the sounds from the pot. Her neck was stretched out, and Xiao Ba, who had climbed onto her head, was also stretching out, its little paws tugging at her hair, its little nose twitching, and its whiskers trembling.

Looking at the poached egg that was about to take shape, Nan Qing couldn't help but remind him:

"Gu Beiyan, the eggs should have a really runny yolk~"